Game of Redemption
by lizard-senpai
Summary: When King Joffrey is poisoned at his wedding, he pleads with a bored Death to not take him to his fate. Intrigued, Death decides to start a game. A game of redemption. Will Joffrey change? Or will he perish in this new world with no experience and enemies both old and new? Joffrey x Sansa.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Death looked at the boy-king impassively. She had always hated killing children, but it was a necessary evil. Besides, no one would particularly miss him and his brother would be a much kinder king. Whether or not he'd be better was a point of debate, however.

"Come boy. It's time." Her voice was toneless, with no speech pattern nor volume, though it was still heard by the blonde, who quaked before her. Fear shone brightly in his green eyes, tears threatening to form. He was scared of her embrace, as all were. She smiled kindly beneath the hood that shrouded her in blackness. Death had seen this fear in many eyes, even her own when she lived.

"I-I'm going to hell, aren't I?" he asked, his voice breaking. She fought the urge to laugh. Let it be said, the boy was not a fool who denied her existence and his destination. She leaned back on her bare heels, arms crossed in contemplation.

"Yes, you are boy. Unless one of my kin decides something else for you. But, if that is the case, I'd think hell to be the kinder option." He didn't fight the tears back anymore and began to sob like the pitiful child he was.

"Please, don't! I'll change, I swear!" he bargained, just as all the others did. She looked on with her normal cold curiosity. He'd be a fun character to watch, should she decide to have a bit of fun. His existence was her's now, less Fate, or Life, or Time want him as a plaything, which, she allowed herself to think, would be amusing, though a bit too perverse in nature for her liking.

Out of all her fellows, she was the kindest. More than likely because she was the youngest, since the previous lord of death had passed his mantle onto her all of three centuries ago. Life was a sadist, more so than herself, loving to take things away from those who did not deserve it for his own pleasure. Fate was cruel and perverse, corrupting anything of light she touched. Time was cold and apathetic, not bothered with anything save his duty.

"Hmm, you'd make an excellent toy," she mused, watching him pale and struggle as he tried to move, though the range he could move was scarcely a foot away. Death was beginning to like this idea more and more, already selecting the playing field and other players. She already was relishing in the thoughts of watching these pawns bleed and cry and suffer.

"Joffrey Lannister, child of Cersei and Jamie Lannister, I'll give you a chance at redemption: to learn humility, kindness, and loyalty. Should you fail...well, I'll decide when the time comes." Shock built in his eyes, soon accompanied by fear as burning light enveloped him. He yelped in shock, regretting whatever bargain he had made with the embodiment of death. But it was already too late.

-:-

Death grinned, letting her hood fall as she walked into the Palace of All. Her grey skin had no imperfection and her ebony locks hung about her face. Oh, she couldn't wait to tell the others of the game she was starting.

"What ever are you smiling about, dearest sister?" came Life's humming in her ears. She turned to see him, currently in the form of a handsome young man with blonde hair and eyes like pale gold.

"Why, I have just set into motion a wonderful game, my twin. Tell me, do you remember the Lannister boy whom I recently stole from you?" she asked the puzzled deity. He smirked, knowing his counterpart's mind only too well.

"Tell me, Death, whom must I gift to you for this game to proceed?" he asked gleefully, golden eyes shining with mirth. Death's own black ones gleamed with sadistic joy.

"I will send five, three of whom I need from you. I trust you know which ones I speak of?" He nodded, waving his hand with a flourish.

"They are yours. Make this interesting; I had very fun things planned for the girl." Death frowned. When Life took an interest in a woman, it would end one of two ways: with her love taken and mind torn, or her innocence tainted and prematurely belonging to Death. It was probably a good idea to chose that one. A very good idea indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The flood of emotions going through Sansa Stark's mind as the boy king fell, choking and bleeding from the inside, were those of absolute jubilation. Her tormentor had finally met his end. Joffrey was dead!

Her feeling were short lived, however, as guards grabbed both her and her imp husband and led them to the dungeons. She seem, to any casual observer, numb. Should they have had the sense to look the poor woman in the eyes, the child was a nervous wreck and on the verge of sobbing.

Life was very much enjoying the look. The desperation in her eyes was exquisite and, for him at least, arousing. But there was work to be done, pawns to move so he could start a new game with his dear sister. Ah, his sister. Both the Lannister twins and the Targaryens had the right idea about siblings, but what was merely taboo to mortals was a condemnable sin for gods to commit; something that would ensure his replacement and the end to so many games. So, he'd content himself with admiring from afar and playing to her whims. What a damn shame.

-:-

The trial came and went, though instead of Tyrion demanding a trial by combat, as Life had intended him to, he decided not to subjugate Sansa to such an unsure means, for surely they would find the girl innocent, despite her fantastic incentive.

And indeed, they did find _her_ innocent. The same could not be said for Tyrion, whom, despite his brother and father's best efforts, was sentenced to death by beheading. For several weeks onward, the young wolf's life proceeded as normally as possible. Until she mysteriously died two months later, apparently by suicide, using the same poison used to kill the late king.

Dear god, isn't Cersei an insufferable cunt?

-:-

Death grinned from under her hood as she glanced at the half-man. He was surprisingly nonplussed at her appearance, even for him. It was refreshing and she couldn't help but think Life would enjoy his company. Alas, this soul had a different purpose.

"I suppose you know who I am?" He gave Death a dry look.

"Taking into consideration I have just been beheaded and you're shrouded in black and mist, I think it'd be a safe bet to say you are death. You _are_ rather conspicuous. Well, let's get on with it. I am quite prepared and have had enough of King's Landing," he said standing up from where he had been sitting on his body. Death almost chuckled; it wasn't every day she met someone so unafraid of what lay beyond.

"As amusing as that would be, I have a much better proposition. Tell me, what do you think about getting a chance to regain your life?"

"I'm interested, but not foolish enough to make a devil." That time, Death actually did laugh, holding her sides with her hood threatening to fall down.

"You will not disappoint, Tyrion, son of Tywin and Joanna Lannister. Despite your wishes, you shall have a second chance: to find courage, to work for a non-selfish cause, and to find love. Should you fail, I'll chose whatever punishment or judgment I see fit."

The light enveloped the imp, though to Death's surprise, he did not shriek or curse. A small smile played upon her lips. This would be quite fun. Quite fun indeed.

-:-

The poor crimson haired girl was shaking as Death approached. She was tempted to pull down her hood and show the girl her human form, but it was against the rules she herself had made. Still, Sansa was so scared.

"Fear not, sweet girl. I am not here to harm you," she said as soothingly as she could manage for having no voice to speak of. The girl continued to tremble, but less so than before.

"I am not ready to die!" she shouted resolutely. Death raised an eyebrow. That was unexpected from this girl.

"Fear not. You aren't going to die yet. You shall have a chance at redemption Sansa Stark, daughter of Catelyn and and Eddard Stark. You will learn to forgive the one you hate most, to not discriminate against other living beings, and to have a power of will. The best of luck to you."

The light enveloped the redhead and she began to panic before disappearing into the light. Her game was almost in play. Now, what had she done with the other two pawns? The had to be around here somewhere.

 **A/n: Hey again. So, if you have any idea of who the other two players should be, please let me know in the reviews. My only criteria is that they can't be Stark or Lannister and must have some great flaw and need to be redeemed. Til next time!**

 **~Lizard-senpai**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello! I would just like to let everybody know that there is going to be a lot of the Four Gods, but they are not the center of the plot; Joffrey is. I might elaborate on their backstories later, but for now I will only include Death and Life (and their soul purpose is to be ultimate trolls). Also, as I said in the last chapter, I don't know who the other two players are. They will be from Westeros, and they will not be from House Lannister nor House Stark, but other than that, I have no idea. Feel free to leave opinions on who they should be. It would be very appreciated.**

 **Also, for future reference, none of the players remember Death threatening them, so they don't believe that should they fail, it will have consequences directly aimed at them. Wow, this A/N is long. Story time!**

 **Chapter 3**

Joffrey awoke, after his encounter with Death, in a dark cave, beside a stagnant body of water. Upon seeing it, he decided he was thoroughly against the place and whatever lived there, for there was evidence of some manner of carnivorous beast taking residence there due to the mass of animal carcasses.

The boy-king scrambled to gather his thoughts while not panicking, though he was doing rather poorly, swiveling his head about frantically. He had just made a deal with Death, was in some detestable cave, tasked with a foolish task. He remembered some of Death's words well: to learn of humility, kindness, and loyalty. What a stupid waste of time. He already had that. His men were loyal to him, his mother loved him, and Margaery was kind to him.

Perhaps she meant for him to learn it. What nonsense. He was king and could do as he pleased. All he had to do was figure out where he was and order someone to take him home. A rasping voice brought him out of his thoughts and into a fright.

" _What is it?"_ came that strange rasp, " _Human? Yes, definitely human. But why is it here?"_ Joffrey stood up straight in a kingly and superior fashion, though his shaking hands as he reached for the semi-decorative sword at his hip.

"W-who are you?! Show yourself!" Joffrey stammered, brandishing his weapon at the darkness. There was a sickly sound, which had to be laughing, that sounded like the middle ground between a horse dying and gravel against a chalk board.

" _It asks who we is! It asks us to show ourselves! Humanses should already know: Gollum,_ _ **Gollum**_ _,_ _ **Gollum**_ _!"_ It shrieked, its voice getting louder and hoarser with every utterance of its name. At that moment, a decrepit creature came from the shadows, vaguely resembling a human, but looking more dead than alive. It was gangly, with stringy hair barely clinging to its head and eyes far too large for it. Its teeth were rotting at the gums and falling out. The boy king gagged, taking several steps back until he tripped on a rock, falling on his backside. He raised the blade in front of it, shouting, "Stay back!"

Gollum hissed and circled the Lannister, Joffrey's blade following him along with his green eyes, filled with fears and disgust. The small creature kept muttering to itself, shaking his head back and forth in jerky movements, mentioning things like "precious" and "thief," before its face turned into a hideous snarl.

" _ **We should kill it!"**_ Gollum suddenly cried, leaping forward while the golden haired boy slashed out wildly with his blade, screaming. For one of the few times in his life, Joffrey was injured, and by this foul creature no less. But, as he swung his blade, he managed to land a small hit on Gollum, knicking his arm ever so slightly. He reeled back, hissing at the boy king before looking the horrified and leaning back into a crouch, holding his head, muttering once more.

Joffrey looked upon with a pure revoltion that mingled with confusion and terror. His eyes searched for an exit, but he was still not accustomed to the poor lighting in the cavern. The startling thought of possibly dying here crossed his mind once or twice, but were quickly dismissed by convincing himself Death would hold up their end of the very ambiguous bargain.

" _Should we ask it for help? No! But it might help us get back the precious...NO! This human is weak! We can gets it back ourselves! But what do we do with it? If we get its help, finding the precious might easy...Alright, but only if it answers our riddle. If it gets it wrong...we kill it! Yes, yes!"_ Gollum's eyes were shining with happiness along with his face, a look that repulsed Joffrey and the strange beast's word made his skin crawl like a thousand ants.

-:-

Death and Life looked down upon the Lannister king, Death grinning happily while Life admired her sense of irony. This was going to be more enjoyable than he had realized if she placed all of the players in such beautiful scenarios.

"Isn't this wonderful, brother?" she said smiling brightly at him. He smirked and nodded, not wishing to tear his eyes from the scene.

"Have you found the others? I _did_ tell you you should keep better track of those who interest you." Death's smile went sour with that comment.

"Why should I keep track of the living when only you can play with them? Besides, you yourself have yet to deliver my other player to me."

"True, but you, dear sister, are also at fault. You are extraordinarily disorganized. If you kept track, you'd be able to find him."

"Oh, do shut up."

Life felt his smirk morph into a grin.

 **A/N: Hey. I still need ideas for the two others. I myself have taken a liking to the idea of the Hound taking part of the game, but I am very open to suggestions. Please let me know your ideas on who other characters should be!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Tyrion considered himself a rather intelligent man. He had always had to be, or else he would've died long ago. So, when he found himself in the middle of a forest, talking to an enormous, humanoid, talking tree, his automatic response was to deem himself insane.

"A dwarf?" came the creaky and old voice of the bearded tree, "Now what would a dwarf be doing here? You wandered quite a far way from home."

Tyrion couldn't help but think that was the understatement of the century. Unsure how to proceed (seriously, how does one talk to a giant tree?) he decided it was best to be polite.

"Um, hello," he said with a slight wave, which the talking tree returned.

"Good morning," it said, in a painfully slow voice. The Imp, for lack of better response, did something he had done very, _very_ few times in his life: he fainted. The bearded tree raised an eyebrow, crouching down (very slowly), and inspecting the dwarf.

"My, you seem to have been having quite the day," it mumble to itself, scooping up the dwarf.

"Well, on we go. You might need some water. We'll get you woken up and then I point you toward home."

-:-

"Oh, you do have a heart, my dearest twin," Life said with a taunting smirk. Death grinned as if she was deranged.

"No I don't. The task I plan to give him is near impossible and will be excruciatingly boring for him. You know full and well why I dropped him with the Ents. It'll be torture for him, and funny for us. Now, would you hurry up and give me the brat?"

Life's smirk grew into a grin and Death scowled at her brother.

"All in due time. I'll give you Shireen as soon as you locate Dayne. You should really consider organizing."

"Well I, unlike you, don't need to keep track of mortal souls. Of course I'm going to become unorganized!" she snapped, crossing her arms as she always did when annoyed.

Death, as she had done so many times since she became a god, wondered why she had to have such an annoying counterpart.

 **A/N: Oh my god, I'm so sorry for not updating, then having such a short chapter. Life has a personal vendetta against me. In other words, I got kidnapped to my aunt's for summer, had no internet, then had to go and get sick. I'm sorry. In other news, while at my aunt's, my cousin gave me ideas on who to put in the story, giving me the idea of putting Princess Shireen in the story. I also took the suggestion from a guest reviewer and put in Ser Arthur Dayne. As much as I liked the ideas of putting in Catelyn or Jaime, as I specified earlier, I don't want anymore Starks or Lannisters. I probably won't be updating again for awhile, because, like I said, Life and me are at odds lately. I will try my best to get some chapter written up though. Please review! They make me happy, even if they are bad reviews.**


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